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Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:33:22 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1Round Guys Brewing Co. celebrates anniversary in Lansdalehttp://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/03/round-guys-brewing-co-celebrates-anniversary-in-lansdale/
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Round Guys Brewing Co.: The celebrate the third anniversary of their Lansdale brewpub, Round Guys will be roping off Wood Street in Lansdale between noon and 6 p.m. March 7. There will be climate-controlled tents with cornhole tournaments and a mobile video arcade. Indoors RGBC will have DJ D. Smallz and brewmaster Scott Rudich spinning tunes for a “silent disco.” Specialty food arrangements will be provided by Jess’s BBQ. The anniversary party features barrel aged beers and specialty pints on tap. A raffle will be held to assist Manna on Main Street. Visit http://roundguysbrewery.com/event/3rd-anniversary-party.
]]>http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/03/round-guys-brewing-co-celebrates-anniversary-in-lansdale/feed/0West Chester’s The Sermon! have an organ-driven jazz soundhttp://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/03/west-chesters-the-sermon-have-an-organ-driven-jazz-sound/
http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/03/west-chesters-the-sermon-have-an-organ-driven-jazz-sound/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 00:05:45 +0000http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/?p=6102Continue Reading →]]>STORY WRITTEN BY BRIAN BINGAMAN bbingaman@thereporteronline.com@brianbingaman on Twitter

They’re out jamming in public at least four nights monthly.
A West Chester band that calls itself “The Sermon!” uses vintage instruments to perform a distinctly retro jazz-funk sound, which can be heard every second Friday of the month at Time Whiskey Bar in Philadelphia, every third Friday at Vudu Lounge in West Chester, every fourth Friday at the Fenix Bar in Phoenixville, and the first Thursday of every month at West Chester’s Sidebar.
Their name comes from an album by notable jazz organist, and Norristown native, Jimmy Smith — which you’ll discover when you search for the band’s music on iTunes.
Not available on iTunes, however, is The Sermon!’s third and latest album, “Covers.” Drummer Mike Lynch explained in a phone interview that iTunes still has to clear permission from the composers of the songs that The Sermon! remade in their own style. And besides, he said, the band makes more money if you buy the CD directly from them at a show.
With around 1,600 likes for their Facebook page, The Sermon! promotes its shows on social media in playful fashion using graphic illustrations by Lynch, who is a sociology professor at West Chester University. “I’m a big fan of old Blue Note (Records) album covers, and I try to replicate the look and feel of that,” he said.
While searching for The Sermon! on YouTube yields varying results, must-hear samples on the combo’s Facebook page are recently-produced videos for “Benny’s Tune (Cat’s Ass)” — which cleverly combines live footage of James Brown — and “Parlor Trick,” both songs from their 2011 self-titled album.
Often augmented by an “extended family” of musicians, the core band is Lynch, bassist Don Allaband, James McLaughlin on organ, and guitarist Rob Mastrippolito. “We started nine years ago. I knew the keyboard player. The bass and guitar player knew each other. I was looking to form a band — a funk, soul, improv-oriented thing. The band is very high energy,” Lynch said.
Part of The Sermon!’s entertainment value, he said, is watching their “heavy and cumbersome” gear being brought in, such as Hammond B3 organs and Leslie speakers (a cabinet amplifier that produces a spooky sound from a rotating loudspeaker).
When asked how much being based in West Chester has influenced the band’s following, Lynch said: “Playing in a college town is beneficial to any artist. It’s definitely helped pave the way with exposure.”

]]>http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/03/west-chesters-the-sermon-have-an-organ-driven-jazz-sound/feed/0‘Insurgent’ original film soundtrack to be released, listen to M83 and HAIM in the title songhttp://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/isurgent-original-film-soundtrack-to-be-release-listen-to-m83-with-haim-in-the-title-song/
http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/isurgent-original-film-soundtrack-to-be-release-listen-to-m83-with-haim-in-the-title-song/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:35:09 +0000http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/?p=6094Continue Reading →]]>SUBMITTED TO TICKET

The original motion picture soundtrack to the futuristic action-adventure film The Divergent Series: Insurgent will be released digitally on March 17, Interscope Records and Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate company, announced.

The soundtrack features a brand-new song by M83 with HAIM, titled “Holes in the Sky.” MTV.com is premiering the track today. Listen to it HERE.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the second installment of the Divergent franchise, will be released worldwide in both 3D and 2D on March 20. The film is based on the bestselling novel “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth.

“Director Robert Schwentke brought incredible nuance to the making of “Insurgent” and pressed us to the frontiers of musical ingenuity,” said music supervisor Randall Poster. “There is a varied and powerful collection of songs gathered on this soundtrack. Not a group of songs for the meek but new anthems for the courageous. Music to fuel your insurgency, for sure. ”

The Divergent Series: Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

The film stars Golden Globe-nominee Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Academy Award-winners Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q and Mekhi Phifer, is based on author Veronica Roth’s New York Times best-seller of the same name. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke from a screenplay by Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback and produced by Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher through their Red Wagon Entertainment banner, along with Pouya Shahbazian. Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman are executive producing through their Mandeville Films banner along with Neil Burger and Barry Waldman.

]]>http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/isurgent-original-film-soundtrack-to-be-release-listen-to-m83-with-haim-in-the-title-song/feed/0With two shows in the region, George Thorogood looks back at 40 years with The Destroyershttp://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/with-two-shows-in-the-region-george-thorogood-looks-back-at-40-years-with-the-destroyers/
http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/with-two-shows-in-the-region-george-thorogood-looks-back-at-40-years-with-the-destroyers/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:21:35 +0000http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/?p=6091Continue Reading →]]>STORY WRITTEN BY BRIAN BINGAMAN bbingaman@thereporteronline.com@brianbingaman on Twitter

Their recordings have been rock radio staples for more than 30 years.
Celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band, with a tour dubbed “Badder Than Ever,” George Thorogood and the Destroyers (“The Delaware Destroyers,” to those that heard them back in the day) have their sights on southeastern Pennsylvania, with shows March 17 at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown and March 20 at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside.
However, there were moments along the way that could’ve derailed the macho blues/rock guitarist and self-described “Indiana Jones of rock ‘n’ roll” from greatness. Of growing up in Delaware, he said in a phone interview: “If it weren’t for The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan, I would’ve slit my wrists a long time ago.” His theme song, “Bad to the Bone,” he originally wanted to give to legendary bluesman Muddy Waters — who, fortunately for Thorogood, wasn’t interested. He pitched “I Drink Alone” to George Jones (who infamously struggled with alcoholism since the ’60s) until, according to Thorogood, Capitol Records told him: “We don’t pay George Jones to sing ‘I Drink Alone’.”

“I would’ve loved to hear Tom Waits sing ‘I Drink Alone’,” he added with a cackle.
A close look at Thorogood’s catalog reveals that songs you’d swear he came up with on his own, because of his signature amped-up swagger, are actually old blues, R&B or country songs. In the borrowing tradition of folk and blues music, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” is an homage to John Lee Hooker, cleverly combining the iconic blues singer’s version of the song with Hooker’s “House Rent Blues” into a single talking blues narrative. “Move It on Over” is a Hank Williams cover and “Who Do You Love?” was originally by Bo Diddley. Because of the way Diddley got taken advantage of by the music industry, Thorogood is proud that his version of “Who Do You Love?” made some money for the rock pioneer, who passed away in 2008.
“That was my project from day one … to get those songs known to people,” he said, noting that after he recorded them, The Grateful Dead started playing “Ride on Josephine” (Bo Diddley) and Elvin Bishop started performing “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.”
Flipping that script, just like with “Bad to the Bone” and “I Drink Alone,” when he writes songs, Thorogood often imagines them being sung by other people. That was the case, he said, with two tracks from 1988’s “Born to be Bad.” The title track he pictured being sung by John Kay of ‘60s hard rockers Steppenwolf, and for “I Really Like Girls,” it was rockabilly and swing enthusiast Brian Setzer.
“My sense of humor’s not for everybody. I’m Denis Leary with a guitar,” Thorogood said of the non-politically-correct lyrical sensibilities that brought us songs like 1991’s “If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave),” which he called a protest song, in a comedy rock sort of way.
“It was a time when anybody who’s had one or two beers was an alcoholic,” he said.
He cracked a joke when asked about the Destroyers’ set, with the world watching, at Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985. “Somebody backed out (of the lineup). They said: ‘Let’s get Thorogood, he’s not doing anything’.”
With the advent of Major League Baseball spring training, Thorogood — who once played semi-pro baseball — explained why he’s followed the New York Mets since the team’s inception in 1962. “If you pick a loser, you always get good seats at the park,” he said, lamenting the signing of pitcher Max Scherzer by division rivals the Washington Nationals.

When Jerry Douglas embarked on his musical journey more than four decades ago, he could never have scripted the thriving career he would one day enjoy.
“I was pretty timid at first,” said Jerry Douglas, speaking from his Nashville, Tenn. home, when recalling the early days of his career. “I fell in with these great musicians. I’ve just been really lucky to be in some really good spots at some really good times. It’s been amazing. I’ve lived out my dream.”
As one of music’s most highly touted studio and touring musicians, Douglas routinely works among music royalty in a variety of genres.
Douglas has spent years in countless recording sessions, offering his award winning talents on the resonator guitar and lap steel. Music icons Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis and Phish, among many others, have enlisted the musical prowess of Douglas. It is estimated that he has appeared on more than 1,600 albums and counting.
A highly regarded solo artist in his own right, Douglas has been a member of such distinguished groups as “New South,” “The Whites,” “Strength in Numbers,” “The Country Gentleman” and Elvis Costello’s “Sugar Canes.”
As if Douglas’ talents as a musician aren’t enough, he has also successfully produced albums by Alison Krauss, (with whom he has toured extensively as a member of “Union Station”), Jesse Winchester, Del McCoury Band, Maura O’Connell and Nashville Bluegrass Band. He also serves as the music director, along with Aly Bain, for the successful BBC Television program “Transatlantic Session.”
“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed about being a musician, pretended to be one and, when it got down to taking up a vocation, there it was, and it just took me,” Douglas said.
“I didn’t have to do anything. I just played,” added Douglas. “I got better and better and learned more. There are people that I’ve played with, (such as) James Taylor and Paul Simon — I can’t believe I’m doing it, but I don’t let it overwhelm me. I have such great respect for them at the same time. I’m gonna give them everything I’ve got. What I’ve got to give is a long history at this point of being a chameleon and adapting to situations.”
Re-signing with Rounder Records, the same label on which he made his original debut back in 1979, Douglas has released two new albums, “Three Bells” and “The Earls of Leicester.”
“I released both records the same day, ‘Three Bells’ and ‘Earls of Leicester.’ Everybody thought I was crazy,” says Douglas. “‘You’re just pitting yourself against yourself.’ I didn’t care. I just wanted them to see daylight.”
For the ‘Earls of Leicester’ recording sessions, Douglas assembled an incredibly talented group of musicians that included, Shawn Camp (lead vocals/ guitar), Johnny Warren (fiddle/ bass vocal), Barry Bales (bass/ baritone vocals), Charlie Cushman (banjo/ lead guitar) and Tim O’Brien (mandolin/ tenor vocals). This same line-up will be joining Douglas on his current tour with guest appearances by Frank Solivan (mandolin/ tenor vocals) and Shawn Lane (mandolin/ tenor vocals).
“I never dreamed that I’d find guys like this to do it with,” added Douglas. “It makes it feel like I’m playing with Flatt and Scruggs. This is as close as I could ever get. We all love Flat and Scruggs so much, and that’s what the whole record is about. We tried to be true to their arrangements and the whole feel and the instruments. Everything is down to the minutest detail, even trying to record the same way they did. I had five days to do it in, and we did it in four.”
“The Earls thing has just exploded,” says Douglas. “We have to figure out what to do about it, because we didn’t figure on being a travelling band. But here we are starting this tour, and we’re going to do a lot this summer. I’m sort of going against what I wanted to do with it, which was for it to be a special event every time we did I so it wouldn’t become a job. We didn’t plan on being a travelling band. We’re just going to ride it and see what happens and have fun. When it’s not fun, then we’ll have to sit down and talk about it. So far so good.”
While both albums were nominated for a Grammy, it was “The Earls of Leicester” that awarded Douglas his 14th career Grammy.
“I was sitting at the Grammies thinking, ‘It would be really great if we won, but if we don’t I understand. I’ve been here before,’” says Douglas. “You think you’re just going to take it in stride, and then they call your name. I thought my heart was going to jump right out of my chest. If you do that on your 14th Grammy, I don’t guess it gets any easier (laughs).”
Douglas is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including The Country Music Association’s “Musician of the Year” 2002, 2005 and 2007, The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship (2004), Artist in Residence for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and The Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Douglas was honored at the 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado for his 25th consecutive year playing at the festival. He also appeared with Vince Gill at Eric Clapton’s “Crossroads Guitar Festival” (2004).

“I do this for a living. So, every time I get to pick up the guitar and play, that’s the pay off,” says Douglas. “I work with so many nice people. I want to keep it that way. I have a good reputation, I think, around town. The reason is because I’m just a musician, and I love to play. I think I’ve got something to offer. I’m a team player. It’s fun when it all happens and comes together.”
Measuring success as a musician and at home is a balancing act that Douglas does not take lightly.
“It’s easier to figure out what defines the musician and the artist,” added Douglas. “What defines you is what kind of person you are, your morals. What you believe in. What excites you. What your legacy is. It becomes a little more challenging all the time as this career thing gets in the way of me being just me. It’s a battle that we go through. Are you a musician, or are you a husband and a father? What is more important to you? When you figure that out, everything else falls into place.”

IF YOU GO

What: Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester, with special guest Gretchen Peters.
When: The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville.
When: Performance is at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7.
Info.: Tickets are available at the Colonial Theatre Box Office by calling (610) 917-1228 or online at www.thecolonialtheatre.com. To stay up to date with Jerry Douglas visit www.jerrydouglas.com.

Shakespeare’s language is tough for many adults, but the kids at Newtown Arts Company (NAC) aren’t scared. They’re taking on the bard and his classic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in NAC’s Shakespeare for Kids production.

The comedy is a love story that features lots of laughs. The story revolves around the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and Hippolyta, and includes the adventures of four young lovers and a group of six amateur actors, who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies in the forest.

The language and show are adapted for children, but producers aimed to keep a lot of the thees and thous intact. Director James Banar, of Newtown, said the story condenses monologues from one page to one or two sentences that highlight the story. It’s by kids, for kids – the number of acts and integrity of the play is intact, but it’s more kid-friendly.

It’s a challenge for them, he said. The cast – from ages five to 13 – rehearses two hours per night for 10 nights prior to the performance on March 7. They seem to be liking it.

“They’re into the story,” he said. “They understand what’s going on and are excited about it.”

Even though Shakespeare can be daunting for grown-ups because of the language, his stories are universal. This tale also includes jealousy, anger, love, transformation. There’s even a spell that someone puts on the wrong person so kids understand that people can be hurt by actions, regardless of intent.

“I think when you break it down to the characters, it’s like everyday life,” Banar said. “Kids have disagreements with their friends. They have their own opinions when someone likes so and so that person doesn’t like them, but likes someone else instead.”

Banar, who has been working with NAC since 2008, likes working with the kids because he gets to see the stories through their eyes.

“It’s interesting to sit down and listen to their perspective of the story. When you start talking about the details, they recognize the characters,” he said.

He also likes how educational theater can be.

“It teaches them diction, storytelling,” he said. “It teaches cooperation. The older kids will work with the younger kids – they know they may forget their lines. They’ll help and do the verse with them. They all work together.”

Gabrielle Kalayjian, 11, of Newtown, plays Peter Quince, a carpenter and the leader of the craftsmen’s attempt to put on a play for the Duke’s marriage celebration. She thinks Shakespeare’s language can be confusing, but “I’m getting used to it,” she said.

She likes being on stage.

“It feels great,” she said. “It’s like I’m a real performer in front of an audience.”

She doesn’t get nervous – she’s been doing this a long time, since she was 6 or 7, she said. The theater bug bit her when she was 4 or 5. Her mom took her to New York to see Broadway shows. She sees at least one per year and her favorite is “Wicked.”

Gabrielle Kalayjian as Peter Quince, Hayley Gessner as Titania, and Abby Gessner as Snug “the lion” discuss the finer points of acting in Newtown Arts Company’s Shakespeare for Kids production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, opening March 7, for two matinee performances only, at Newtown Theatre, 120 North State Street in Newtown.To purchase tickets visit www.newtownartscompany.com or call (215) 860-7058.

When she’s not on stage, she likes singing, and playing with her friends and her puppy, Skylar. Being busy is easy for her, she said.

“I do the play practice every day then I do my homework,” she said. “Then I have some free time to do other things. It’s a lot of fun.”

Gabrielle’s mom, Michelle, is happy that her daughter is enjoying the experience. And she’s thrilled about what the experience is giving to Gabrielle.

Banar hopes that kids (and their parents) will come out and see all of the hard work Gabrielle and company have put into the production. He thinks everyone will have a good time.

“It’s a nice story about people cooperating, love, and romance,” he said. “It tells a really funny and heartwarming story.”

IF YOU GO

What: Shakespeare for Kids production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

When: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 7

Where: Newtown Theatre, 120 North State St., Newtown, PA 18940.

Tickets: $10 general admission

Info.: Call (215) 860-7058 or visit www.newtownartscompany.com

]]>http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/shakespeare-for-kids-brings-the-bard-to-a-younger-audience-in-newtown/feed/0Ben Davis hopes to hit a home run in the broadcast boothhttp://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/ben-davis-hopes-to-hit-a-home-run-in-the-broadcast-booth/
http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2015/03/02/ben-davis-hopes-to-hit-a-home-run-in-the-broadcast-booth/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 18:20:11 +0000http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/?p=6075Continue Reading →]]>WRITTEN BY NEAL ZOREN For Digital First Media

Ben Davis said he has been smiling since the day he heard he would be joining Tom McCarthy, Matt Stairs, and, for Sunday home games, Mike Schmidt in the Phillies television broadcasting booth.
Davis, the former major league catcher and Malvern Prep star who grew up in Aston, replaces former Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer, who was part of the color commentary team for one year in 2014. Davis makes his first appearance in his new role at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday when the Phillies play their first spring training game of the 2015 season against the New York Yankees on Comcast SportsNet. (Davis’ birthday is Tuesday, March 10. He’ll be 38.)
“I am absolutely ecstatic,” Davis said by telephone from Philadelphia, where we was between trips to the Phillies complex in Clearwater last week. I was hoping I would get this wonderful opportunity and I’ve been in state of joy since hearing I did. I grew up in Aston and have been following the Phillies and rooting for the Phillies since before baseball became such an integral part of my life.
“This is a dream,” Davis continued. “When you’re a player getting attention and realizing you’re likely to be drafted, you dream of playing in Major League Baseball. When you become a broadcaster, the dream becomes the chance to sit in that broadcast booth and help fans understand the various facets of the game you love so much.

Former major league catcher Ben Davis, who grew up in Aston and was a baseball standout at Malvern Prep, joins the Phillies’ TV broadcast team for the 2015 season. Courtesy photo

“Humility sets in, and you think getting such a job will never happen to you. I felt honored and lucky to be part of the pre- and post-game teams on Comcast SportsNet and on panels at WIP (94.1 FM), but this fulfills a wish I really wanted to come true. I can’t wait for Tuesday and the chance to join T-Mac and Matt in the booth. I know both of them, but naturally, I am getting better acquainted with them and their announcing styles as we prepare for Tuesday’s game.
“Once baseball is in your blood, it stays there. My role doesn’t matter. Whether I’m a player, a broadcaster, a visitor, or a spectator, my adrenaline starts going when I step on to a baseball field or in a baseball stadium.
“It’s automatic. I love everything about the baseball experience. Each sight, each sound, each smell excites me. I don’t think you grow out of that after seven years of playing in the majors and so many other years preparing for that thrill.
“As my playing days were ending, I wondered what I would do and hoped I would be close to baseball. Remaining a part of a sport I love much is exhilarating.”
Davis said one difference between speaking from a broadcast booth and doing pre- and post-games shows is the freedom it gives him to expand to points he wants to make.
“The pre-game and post-game shows are tightly scheduled,” Davis said. “You have the opportunity to say a lot, but in the booth, you have three hours to talk about the plays the viewer is seeing. I want to use my knowledge of the game to explain what a pitcher, catcher, or manager is thinking in a given situation. I have the insight to know what’s happening under the surface, and that’s what I want to bring to the audience.”
Davis said he believes his experience as a player will add to his objectivity as he comments on plays made by the Phillies and their opponents.
“I won’t ride a guy who made an honest error, physical or mental,” Davis said. “In 162 games, anyone can have a lapse, and sometimes a lapse can decide the outcome of a game. I prefer to explain what happened than make someone a goat.
“The same is true when someone makes a marvelous or game-saving play. I want to share the enthusiasm, but I don’t want to blow a single moment out of proportion. As a former player, I’m sensitive to what a player goes through on the field, and I have no intention of making anyone look bad or creating false expectations if someone has a good streak. Of course, I’m going to point out and analyze the play, but I’m not going to make more of it that it is. I will congratulate and be happy for the guy having the good run and hope it continues, but you need to give people perspective. Players are human. You don’t want to anyone into something he can’t live up to.
“It’s the balance that matters. My hope is to show people the fine points of the game in the same way other color commentators have done. That is the opportunity that excites me. Doing the pre-game show was good preparation. So are the times I’m on WIP. While you have more time to organize your thoughts on a pre-game show, you are asked to give your opinion and explain things. That’s valuable practice for the more unpredictable analysis of a baseball game in progress.”
Davis’ rookie year in the TV booth coincides with predictions that the Phillies may be the worst team in baseball, with expectations hovering at 65 wins and Las Vegas offering odds that don’t bode well for the Phillies’ success.
“I wouldn’t tell that to the guys in the clubhouse, and I can assure you that’s not the way they’re thinking,” Davis said. “When you play major league baseball, you expect to win every game. That’s your goal and you take the field with that in mind. You can’t think any other way. Commentators and odds-makers can tell you what’s realistic. I also have to put things in perspective and speak frankly about how the team is faring.
“But no one knows that until the team takes the field. Baseball is a challenging sport because anything can happen. Run production is predicted to be a problem, but you don’t know. Ryan Howard can contribute another 100 RBIs. Maikel Franco could be the player people expect him to be and be important to the team. Chase Utley is a scrapper. Cody Asche can benefit from his experience. Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee give you to solid starters at the top of the rotation. Let the 162 games play and then do the evaluation.
“I can tell you from being around the Phillies for several years that it is a class organization managed by smart people who know baseball and who are experience in building winning teams. My job is to look at a play, good or bad, and tell the ABCs of what happened. I am aware of the predictions, and they may be understandable, but I also love baseball and prefer to see what the actual games show instead of making a firm judgment before the first pitch of the season is thrown.
“Being around baseball and traveling with a team is great for me. My wife is used to the travel from my playing days. I’ll have enough time home to be with my kids. For me, everything right now is great, and I am still smiling. With this opportunity, I think I will be for time to come.Remembering Nimoy
“Star Trek” did not last long on television.
Despite an avid following by adolescents, mostly boys around age 14, the show did not garner significant ratings and was canceled by NBC after two seasons.
What a difference time made. Even as teenagers mourned “Star Trek’s” passing, the memory of the show, its characters, its plot lines, and character traits lingered on. No one stopped asking to be “beamed up” somewhere or failed to respond to the Vulcan hand signal. Trading “Star Trek” nostalgia lasted into young adulthood, and fandom was rewarded by a movie starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Nichelle Nichols in 1978.
“Star Trek” lore is now part of American cultural literacy, and not just for superannuated nerds and their grandchildren who might talk about how Data, in a later “Trek” cast, was almost judged to be a toaster. The highly educated nerds on Chuck Lorre’s “The Big Bang Theory” all speak Klingon. “Star Trek” is destined to last the ages next to “The Odyssey” and Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
I don’t what last Friday’s star date would be — Sheldon Cooper can you help there? — but it was a sad one for Trekkies of any generation everywhere.
More even than any captain, the character that captured the nerd imagination was Spock, the prescient sensible Spock who came from a planet on which denizens could only think logically.
Spock’s solutions, his demand that information compute neatly and correctly, were attractive. Oh to have Spock’s pointy ears, greenish cast, and uncluttered analytical mind. Who would not trade something as unpredictable as emotion for totally logical performance? Not I.
Last Friday, the actor who originated Spock, the talented and accomplished Leonard Nimoy, died at age 83. James Doohan and others passed before Nimoy, but the death of the man who played Spock will be felt by many.
Nimoy, like many actors, became so associated with his most famous role, he remained Spock even when others, like Zachary Quinto, played him in later productions of “Star Trek.”
On stage, I saw Nimoy as Vincent Van Gogh and in classic roles that showed his wide acting gifts. Yes, I always thought of “Star Trek” as he entered the stage but quickly forgot about my favorite boyhood show when Nimoy began portraying the character at hand.
Few actors have created a character as iconic or as special as Spock. Nimoy will forever be remembered for the role and will be mourned by “Trek” fans throughout the world. I hope they acknowledge his fine, consistent acting in addition to his place in television and cultural history.Standing by O’Reilly
The controversy surrounding Bill O’Reilly and the reports that he falsely insinuated himself in stories he covered in the Falklands and Argentina in the early ’80s are more disconcerting and harder for me to believe than Brian Williams’ missteps that came to light last month.
O’Reilly, who stands by statements he’s made in books, may be more polarizing than Williams, and his detractors seem bent on pinning him down and making him pay for their allegations of misreporting.
The O’Reilly case makes me wonder, because I worked with O’Reilly briefly in the mid-1990s when he was the anchor of “Inside Edition.” Of all the people in a lively, opinionated newsroom, O’Reilly was the one I’d say was the most concerned with attribution and accuracy. He was also frankest about the value of a story and one of the few willing to admit that “Inside Edition” paid sources to appear on the show exclusively.
I have no way of knowing the truth in the O’Reilly case, but my tendency is to back him. Fox News Channel may not be the most meticulous about all it puts on the air, a lot of which is subjective and meant to be more persuasive than informative. But the O’Reilly I remember was a straight shooter who would have been the first to complain if a story was not air tight before it was broadcast.

¿Dónde está Juana? (Where is Juana?) What would you do if you received a mysterious letter?

Join award-winning family music performer, Andrés Salguero, as he travels Latin America in search of Juana on Saturday, March 7 at World Café Live. Families are welcome to sing and dance to new and classic Spanish songs and practice or learn Español along the way.

The unique bilingual “Uno, Dos, Tres con Andrés!” is an interactive children’s show that teaches Spanish language and Latin American culture. Children sing, shake, and sound out rhythms while trying regional Latin dances and practicing Spanish words.

Andres Salguero. Submitted photo

A native of Colombia, both his debut CD and his live performances are infused with south of the border sensibilities. He also has deep roots in the Latin music world, with over a decade of experience playing Latin Jazz, Salsa, Norteño and Latin folkloric music.

Forty years ago, “Star Trek” morphed from unique-but-under appreciated canceled program after three years on NBC, to powerhouse franchise spawning a dozen (and counting) films, more than a half-dozen (and counting) TV series, hundreds of books, innumerable video games, gazillions of dollars in merchandise, and countless copycats.

Leonard Nimoy, aka Mr. Spock, arguably had a larger role in that pop culture sci-fi explosion than anyone other than series creator Gene Roddenberry. And that, too, is subject to debate.

Dr. Felice Fischer, the Luther W. Brady Curator of Japanese Art and Senior Curator of East Asian Art of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, used a local example to give perspective to the influence and longevity of Japan’s Kano painters.
“In the Brandywine (River) Museum (of Art), the pride of Brandywine is (in its) third generation of Wyeth artists — Jamie Wyeth. We’re showing 16 generations of Kano artists — the pride of Japan, and in the next three months, the pride of Philadelphia.”
The pride of Philadelphia she referred to is the museum’s latest installation, “Ink and Gold: Art of the Kano,” which will introduce to American audiences the full scope of the Confucian-influenced ink-and-gold-leaf artform regarded by the Japanese as a national treasure. The last time this many fragile 15th to 19th century pieces from imperial, national and private collections were in one place was in Tokyo in 1979.
“Art of the Kano” was co-organized by the Art Museum (which has a notable number of late-period Kano works in their permanent collection) and the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, with cooperation from the Tokyo National Museum.

Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Art Museum, and Norman Keyes, the museum’s director of communications, both called “Art of the Kano” a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit. “The many works that are in this exhibition are rarely seen in Japan itself,” Rub added.

“Art of the Kano” will only be displayed in Philadelphia; and to make it even more interesting, the exhibit will be rotated to showcase different works on March 17 and April 14. The rotation is being done due to the light sensitivity of the centuries-old paper and silk.
During a time when shogun warlords ruled the island nation, what began as a Kyoto family studio founded by Kano Masanobu, became a thriving guild by 1615. Often patronized by the military government and ruling class, the Kano school artists carefully passed on their creative secrets to the next generation.
In the meticulous tradition of the Kano painters, there are sketchbooks throughout the exhibit, so you can try your hand at copying your favorites. “Before the iPhone, there were sketchbooks,” Fischer joked.

Images include important landmarks like Mt. Fuji and Nijo-jo Castle, peaceful landscapes, farming panoramas, seascapes, battle scenes and figures like the “Queen Mother of the West” and Yang Guifei, who was nearly the downfall of the Tan Dynasty because Emperor Ming Huang was so enraptured by her beauty that he became inattentive to matters of governing.
A curious common medium for the artists was large-scale folding screens and sliding doors, such as “Eagle and Pine Tree” and “Wasteful Payment for an Observation Tower (Nagoya Castle),” both by Kano Tan’yu (a contemporary of Rembrandt). “They had large empty spaces to fill,” Fischer said of the rich and powerful fans of the Kano school painters. “You’ve been to the Shofuso House (in Fairmount Park)? Imagine that times 20.”
Other standout Kano artists include Eigaku (1790–1867), whose scenes celebrated music, dance, poetry and nature, and Seisen’in Osanobu (1796–1846). There are also small works like scrolls, albums and hand fans.
The arrival of Commodore Barry in Japan in the 1860s, and the ensuing wave of Western trade and cultural influence, led to the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the fading of the Kano school’s status.
Flash forward more than 150 years and Seattle tech entrepreneur Nadine Kano, a descendent of the Kano artists, was visiting Philadelphia to catch the exhibit before it opened to the public. “I’m blown away. I think Felice and her team at the museum did a phenomenal job,” she said.
Kano’s great uncle, who died from tuberculosis in his teens, was one of the last artists painting in the ancient style. “You can tell by the dynamic rocks and the charismatic trees,” she said.
When asked about curating and preserving the family legacy, Kano — who infrequently visits Japan — said that she’s been under “tremendous pressure.” “My aunt is the matriarch of the family. My grandmother gave her all the heirlooms that managed to survive (World War II) somehow, and now she’s giving them to me.”
Check www.philamuseum.org for the full schedule of related “Ink and Gold: Art of the Kano” programs.